


Auti

by KeeLimeArt



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Betrayal, Kind of MT!Prompto, M/M, Mild Language, villian au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-02-06
Packaged: 2018-09-20 17:08:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9501698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeeLimeArt/pseuds/KeeLimeArt
Summary: The Prompto he knew never existed.It turns out that he was one of THEM all along. He didn't care about those boys. He only cared about the highest bidder for his bounty.And it's a bounty that will send Noctis and a corrupted Prompto across the land with little more than fake names and a chocobo.





	1. Chapter One

Clip. Clap. Clip. Clap.

The only sound came from the hard soles of his shoes against the metal floors. For miles upon miles, there was nothing but cold, silver color passages. No end had been in sight, and quite frankly, the king was starting to forget where the beginning laid.

How long had Noctis Lucis Caelum passed through the countless checkpoints, or ran around the bend of the same basic corridors? How many times did he have to upgrade his card to pass through the next set of floors? He couldn’t rightfully remember. After so long, time seemed to meld together until nothing mattered other than the quest at hand.  
Only days before, Noct’s life had come to a figurative end. In the heat of the moment, and a touch of confusion, he flung one of his companions off of the edge of a moving train. It wasn’t his fault, so many had told him. There was nothing you could do, their voices chanted, over and over, but Noct couldn’t listen to them. No man would be expected to believe a lie that was staring them plainly in the face. He was responsible for everything that happened to his group.

Because of him, the Regalia was destroyed.

Because of him, Gladio and Ignis were nowhere in sight, and nothing was known about their whereabouts. 

Because of him, Prompto was captured and alone.

And that is exactly why he was there. It was that one, final fact that kept him going in that impossible mission. What could the little blonde possibly be doing at that moment? It made the king’s insides churn simply by thinking about it. He tried instead to focus on the things about his friend that fired up his insides, his purposes for being there.  
It only seemed like yesterday that the two of them were in high school. From the moment that Prompto decided to clap him on the back and introduce himself, Noct’s life had completely turned around, for the better. Finally, he had a friend that liked him simply for who he was, no royal ties added into the mix. Embarrassed to say, he had grown rather attached to the boy from the start. 

Perhaps it was his confidence and spunky attitude, or simply his presence. Prompto didn’t even need to say anything to him. If Noct was having a low day, refusing to talk to anybody, he would talk to Prompto. All the blonde boy had to do was run up to the prince at the time and sit down next to him. From then on, it was like a light was switched on inside Noct’s heart and mind, and he knew that everything would be alright.  
How he wished that he could have that light now.

The passages seemed to go on for an eternity. Noct was beginning to familiarize himself with the sameness of everything, the thought of it causing a creepy feeling to crawl up his back. 

“Your friend wasn’t quite so empty, either,” Ardyn’s eerily gentle voice called from nowhere. “He’s got quite the skeleton inside of him.”  
Ever since Noct had entered Ardyn’s trap, the other man’s voice had been echoing through his mind. Every so often, Ardyn would whisper sweet, terrible nothings into his ear either to frighten him or get him fired up. Either way, it was an attempt to get the king to crack under pressure, and if he had to spend one more minute inside the tedious torture chamber, he was going to give Ardyn just what he wanted.

Sometime later, the disembodied voice sounded again. “I do hope you find your dear Prompto in time.”  
Noctis stopped dead in his tracks and took a slow, deep breath. He wouldn’t let any stranger so much as speak about Prompto without his permission, and here comes one subtly threatening the boy. The king was not going to let him get away with it if he had to wring Ardyn’s throat to get him to stop. He knew better than to let the words get to his head, but NOBODY talked about Prompto like that. Something in his mind snapped that day. His eyes narrowed as far as they could go, and he looked towards the skys as there was nowhere else that he could aim his ramblings.

“And he’d better be in one piece when I do,” he steadily warned. Though his voice remained calm, low, and deep at first, his anger began to rise along with his volume, “or so help me, I’ll-!”

Ardyn cut him off right there. “Or you’ll what?” he laughed. “You’ll kill me? How amusing, my dearest Noct. The great, earthly king shall slay the immortal. I should love to see how it all turns out. I do have such a weakness for tragic tales.”

“Get out of my head!” Noct suddenly shouted. He’d finally done it. He’d given Ardyn a way to slither inside of his head and toy with that wondrous brain of his. The king doubled over in pain as his mind was invaded. He couldn’t feel anything other than what seemed like a hammer beating against his skull and the laughter from the man who was causing it.

Noctis broke into a full run, not stopping for anybody or anything. It was as though somebody pulled a blanket over his mind, disconnecting it from his movements and thoughts. Of course, the only thought that crossed his mind at the moment was, “I need to get out of here.”

A patrolling MT was caught off guard as the king came barreling down the passage. Like most of the others in the prison, it was broken down and malfunctioning to the point that it would burst if you wandered too close. Regardless, Noct couldn’t let it get in his way, and it only took one swipe of his sword to rid of it. 

“Now, now, let us not lose sight of where we’re going,” Ardyn scolded Noct as his laughter faded away. An invisible hand slammed two panels of the wall shut, both on either side of the king. In an instant, the wire mesh of the walls sparked to life, threatening to electrocute Noct, should he come too close. The entire room looked as if it were spinning. Noct’s focus was getting too out of control, and if he couldn’t stop it soon then there was a good chance that he wouldn’t be getting up if he collapsed.  
To make matters worse, a few of the previously inanimate MTs that were scattered about sprung to life, but they weren’t in perfect working order. Any given moment, the already haywire androids would burst into a sea of electricity as they exploded. 

Noct shouted a few choice swear words as he took out the one true weapon he had: The Sword of the Father. If he had to fight them off in that state, so be it. He could do anything if somebody depended on him to do it, and there was no better time to put that claim to the test.

“Did you hear something? Was that Noct?” a distant voice pondered. Noct sharply inhaled and looked briefly around the area. It was a pleasant change from Ardyn’s snake-like, teasing voice. This sounds was far away, unlike the mutterings of the other man, and more crisp. If he listened closely, there was a faint tinge of an accent in the mix.  
“Noct, is that you?!” a gruff voice yelled. There was only one man that it could belong to: Gladiolus Amicitia, the king’s shield. Noct would be able to spot a voice like that from a mile away, but if that were really who it was, then he knew exactly who else was speaking in the room aside him. Ignis Scientia might have been recently blinded, but he was still one of the brightest and quickest people the king knew.

Without taking his eyes off of the pending attackers, Noct loudly shouted, “Gladio? Ignis?”  
\-----

“Locked,” Noct stated as he peered over the control panel. “Meaning, there’s somebody inside?”  
The door that they were trying to access was closed off even to Noct’s security card. Up until that point, he could simply swipe the little item across a machine, and it would grant him access to the next floor. However, the area that they were attempting to access had no indication of which floor it belonged to. It was obviously a place that only a select few were allowed to enter.

Noct slid his hands on top of the panel, trying to figure out how it worked. Though he might have never been an expert at computers, he could still figure out a few basic things about it. It was known for a fact that Ignis could have gotten them inside faster if he could see. However, there was little he could do to improve the situation, and Gladio was just as thick headed about it. Therefore, nobody complained as the king took his time in the coding.

After a few unsuccessful tries, Noct emerged victorious. He let out a singular, pleased laugh as the lighting of the door changed from red to green, indicating that he had unlocked it. The king wasted no time in forcing himself forward to be the first to past. A warm feeling melted over his heart with a strange sense of ease. For the first time in days he found an opportune time to relax himself, though he knew that they were far from done. Still, at least he found Prompto. He knew that he would be in there. He had to be… 

Ardyn’s laughter resounded over all of their heads. “I knew you were going to go there,” he pointedly stated. “Quickly now. Run to him. This should be interesting…”

Noctis mentally waved aside the other man’s comments as soon as the door opened. The room was long and vaguely lit, providing little sight for the group. Despite this, a strange metal machine could clearly be seen at the end of the hall. The thing was bent in the shape of a “T” and conveniently lit up with a road of footlights trailing towards it. Like everything else in that trap, Ardyn was taking them by the hand and leading them directly towards where they wanted to go.

Though it wasn’t the only piece of technology of its kind in the room, it was certainly the only occupied one. A weak, limp looking person was suspended from its sides. The machine forced its resident to stand straight up at all time, their wrists bound to the edges. Despite the notable amounts of blood and filth scattered about their face, the identity of the one inside was unmistakable. Prompto Argentum hung from the metallic machine.

The chosen king cried his friend’s name as he picked up his speed. Gladio and Ignis, try as he might, attempted to keep up with him, although it was easy for the two to get left behind with Ignis’s ‘condition’. Gladio refused to leave him behind, despite the king insisting on running ahead every so often.

Noct wasted no time in tearing off his friend’s restraints. All of that time was leading up to this, and hopefully Prompto would be okay. Nothing else mattered more to him. Dash the crystal. Dash his other weapons. What good would they be to him if he lost another person that meant the world to him? A broken king cannot be used to rule for the better.

Prompto lifelessly collapsed to the floor as if he were nothing more than a rag doll.

“Prompto!” Noct exclaimed with concern. He fell to his knees with his friend, cradling him in his arms. The blonde didn’t even flinch as Noct examined him. Noct dared to fear for a moment that they were too late. In an instant, as if he were nothing more than sand, Prompto crumbled into nothing.  
“I wondered when you were going to get here,” a new voice chuckled. The chosen king’s hands balled into fists. It was nothing more than one of Ardyn’s filthy ruses. He was absolutely sick of them. How much longer would he make him suffer as so? 

The sorrow that he felt only moments before was quickly transformed into anger. This. Ended. Now. He whipped around to come face to face with the new character.  
Only to find Prompto.

He looked- different- to say the least, and it wasn’t in a good way. Despite probably days of being held in captivity, he looked cleaner and neater than he did on the day he was captured. However, he still wasn’t exactly squeaky clean when he left them. Instead of the punk, leather clothing that he commonly sported before, he was dressed in imperial finery: a lovely, flowing black coat, a dark button up that was ruffled at the sleeves, and more formal, loose trousers were involved in his new look.

It was more than his outward appearance that caught the king off guard. There was something in his eye that was menacing and knowing, and Noct didn’t like it one bit. The blonde held himself higher, with more dignity and grace. It appeared almost as if another person had been possessing his body. 

“Were you worried about me?” he asked with a smirk at the chosen king’s silence. Prompto took threating, slow steps towards his friends. “Of course… That’s why you came back here… Why else would you? 

“Still, I always could have left whenever I felt like it, but I wanted to see you. I wanted to let you know myself, that I am the real one.” He gingerly placed his wrist against a high piece of metal on the wall.

“What is this?” Noctis asked, in a soft voice. He grinded his teeth in anger. “Another trick!? Where’s the real Prompto!?”

The lights in the room suddenly turned to a deep shade of red, and every means of exit were quickly closed off. The fortress that they were in before was nothing compared to the set-up they were quickly captured in. At least before, there were many means of escaping the dangers. The king was now forced to confront his fears face to face.

Prompto smirked and mockingly stretched his arms out, taking a spin of his heels to show off his newly found glory.

“You’re looking at him,” he announced. “Turns out that I carry the same coding as all of these soldiers in here. I’m one of them.” He took the wrapping off of the area he typically kept covered. There, he was branded with a barcode, inscribed with the lettering Auti 10vP-N in the upper right hand corner. In the left, the numbers 00065204. 

“Prompto…” the chosen king breathed in disbelief.

“No,” the blonde denied. “The Prompto you knew never existed.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not all who bear the mark know what they do...

Everything was pitch black for approximately two seconds. If anybody waved their hand right in front of their eyes, he wouldn’t be able to see a thing. It was an unearthly, choking darkness that seemed determined to swallow you whole. Nobody moved, nor did they utter a word. An icy grip settled across the hearts of each member, except, perhaps, Prompto. He simply stood with the same, irritating half smile that he had been sporting ever since he arrived, acting as though he knew about something quite funny that the others didn’t

Once the lights came back on, everyone stood exactly as they were before, but their setting had completely changed. What was once an eerie, claustrophobic, metal prison turned into open space right before their eyes. Like most everything they’d seen before, it had been no more than a cleverly crafted façade. 

“How tragic,” Ardyn echoed above in an obviously exaggerated tone. “To think that you’ve come all this way to save your friend. Only, now you discover that he was never your friend at all. Oh, it’s such a novel idea, don’t you agree Noct?

Noct stared blankly forward, as emotionless as stone. He refused to believe what was happening. That wasn’t Prompto. That Thing was not the friend that he kept for the past six years. That wolf in sheep’s clothing was not the only one that made him smile all of those months ago. That was a daemon in disguise, and he was about to prove it, too.

“Oh, apparently not. No matter, he’ll fight you either way you feel about it,” Ardyn waved aside. 

There was a clink of metal from behind the king as his shield and his advisor equipped their swords. Despite the identification of the person in front of them, they were prepared to fight. It was how they were trained, after all. It didn’t matter who wielded the weapon. If somebody was going to take arms against their fair king, they had to support him, even if the traitor used to be one of them. Even if the traitor used to be the king’s most trusted ally. 

Noct stopped the two members of the royal guard before they could do anything else. His arms stretched out to his side to block their immediate path, and his hand gestured for them to wait. 

“No. Leave this to me,” he muttered, the Sword of the Father appearing in his hand. If it was a fight Ardyn wanted, then it was a fight he was going to receive. The faster he got the fight out of the way, the faster he could find the real Prompto and get out of there. 

The false Prompto smiled at his king and took a sarcastic bow before taking out his own firearms. In a moment, he didn’t hesitate to cock and point it towards Noct. Apparently, he wasn’t going to back down from the fight, either. 

“Tut, tut, we can’t have a fair fight, can we, Prompto?” scolded Ardyn. “Why don’t we even the odds and make this all a bit more interesting?”

Prompto’s eyes widened, and his pupils dilated to the size of no more than pin pricks. An interesting expression crossed his face for half of a second. If Noct dared to blink, he would have missed it, and he wouldn’t have received an important bit of information. Instead of the stone cold, heartless vibe that he was emitting before, the blonde’s face fell to one filled with fear. What was increasingly incredible was the look of either regret or sorrow that flickered across his eyes.

Prompto’s arm went strangely stiff, causing the firearm to fall from his grasp. Ever so slowly, the traitor reached down to his hip, where a sword hung, sheaved. 

The blade was much larger than anything Noct would expect Prompto to handle. In fact, Noct doubted that he ever saw Prompto as much as look at a blade before then. He simply assumed that the boy wasn’t the type, and he was mostly too weak to carry one. That was one of the reasons why he always insisted on bringing a gun into battle with him, unlike the other three. Yet, when the two drew their items for their duel, Prompto wielded it as though he had been doing it for years. It almost frightened the king. 

“Now, shall we begin? I don’t have all day,” Prompto impatiently pressured Noct. His nice, formal shoes repeatedly tapped against the ground, waiting for Noct to begin. Everything about his persona had flipped from earlier. Instead of the confident, swaggering position he held himself in, he stood straight as a board, and his expression never betrayed any emotion that he might have held. Though he was clearly able to move and function, Prompto was as lifeless as a wooden marionette. 

Prompto’s head jerked to one side with some sort of mock pity. “Oh, it would seem that the little prince doesn’t know how this works,” he sighed. “I OWN him. I control everything about him. He’ll do whatever I ask him to do.” It was a beaten down, simplified summary, but Ardyn made his point across. It wasn’t his old friend who was controlling that body, but it was definitely his old friend. The thought caught the king off guard, and left a vulnerable opening for the puppeteer to approach him.

With dizzying speed, Prompto ran up to Noct and steadily held the blade at his throat. Not for one moment did he falter or stumble as he would normally do when he was a part of their group. 

“You know,” he quipped, “I could always end this here. Oh, how I’d love to kill you myself, but through the hands of another? Where’s the glory? Where’s the fun? Tell you what. I’ll release him to do as he pleases, but I’ll warn you. He isn’t going to hold back.”

Prompto almost collapsed over himself as Ardyn loosened his grip. The man’s speech returned as nothing more than a disembodied voice.

“He must be so angry that you blamed him for everything… Pushed him off the edge of a moving train… He’s done nothing wrong to you. Why should he deserve to be treated the way that you’ve treated him?” he pondered aloud. 

“That’s enough,” Noctis barked.

“Oh?” Ardyn challenged. “I am merely relaying the truth, for I have done nothing. Everything your friend has become is on your hands.”

“You liar!” the king shouted. He didn’t have time to get anywhere else. While distracted, he allowed the corrupted Prompto to gather his bearings. Once he could focus once more, he concentrated on doing nothing other than lunge at Noctis. 

He lost the grace and steadiness that he carried with him before. It was obvious that without Ardyn, he was not a very good swordsman, but he was, in fact, uncommonly strong, and that made him a formidable foe at most. Noctis could have won the fight right from the start, but something was holding him back. He couldn’t find the courage to fight his best friend. Instead of countering, with every swipe Prompto took at him, he dodged it. Now that the king was assured that he was being attacked by the body of his old companion, he wanted no part in the fight. So long as Prompto Argentum was still Prompto Argentum, then Noctis Lucis Caelum was not going to fight him. 

Noct was surprised, but very impressed by Prompto’s newly found abilities. Of course, he quickly reminded himself that it was no time to be cooing over fighting skills. Gladio was shouting at him in the background, ordering the king to make his move, but he couldn’t understand why Noct was holding back. Could you blame him if he refused to fight a friend he held so high in his heart? Would you expect him to fight someone such as Luna if it came down to it? Prompto was still very much a human being, not a daemon, and there was no just reason to think otherwise. 

“I expected so much more from you, Noct,” Ardyn taunted. “If a king cannot find evil within his own court, how is he expected to protect his people from it?”

“He’s not evil!” Noct managed to say between dodges. Prompto managed his blade closer to Noct closer that time, grazing the size of his face. With a roll, the king was able to shield himself from any further damage.

The deep chuckles coming from Ardyn vibrated the room. “Isn’t he? Else, why would he attack you?” he countered.

Ardyn’s voice penetrated deep into Noct’s head, distracting him and confusing his actions. It had the perfect effect against him, as he was not capable of using everything he had to focus on the fight. In an offbeat moment, Prompto rammed himself into the king, making him lose his balance. Noct stumbled backwards, looking like he was about to crash to the ground, but the blonde traitor quickly put an end to that. He raised his sword and ran through the king’s shoulder. It broke through both skin and flesh, burying itself deep into the wall behind them. 

A red blotch quickly pooled over the area of the injury, permanently staining Noct’s shirt. 

The king realized at once that he had made a fatal mistake. He slowly looked up to his old companion with his eyes glazed over and mouth slightly parted. He looked as though he wished to say something, but the words never formed. If anybody ever looked so defeated in a single moment, it would have been the king. His energy was already being sapped at an uncommon rate, feeling as he normally did when he was poisoned. The king’s eyes almost seemed to plead, “Please, just do it quickly.”  
Prompto leaned in close, putting a hand on the king’s shoulder. Noct gently closed his eyes as he prepared for the searing pain that was bound to come when the blade was removed. However, it never came. Instead, Prompto brought his mouth to Noct’s ear and whispered to him.

“Point warp, do it now,” came Prompto’s hushed, hurried request.

“What?” asked a bemused king. He was barely able to halfway open his eyes to glance over at Prompto. 

Prompto grunted as Noct clearly didn’t understand what he was saying. “Look, it you want to live, point warp to the other side of the room, NOW.”

Half conscious and barely understanding the situation, Noct quickly pulled out his sword. Unlike the many times that he point warped before, he didn’t have his engine blade or any small dagger of the sort. A lightweight, short blade was always preferable when it came to point warping because of the greater distance that could be achieved with it. Though Noct had never warped by using a large blade, it was not impossible. 

With a quick flip of his wrist, Noctis warped to the other side of the room, while draining his energy all at once. Finally, Prompto could initiate his higher plan. As handsome as Ardyn’s offer was to him, he had bigger fish to fry, and it just so happened to involve the king. It wasn’t anything personal. It was simply business. The one with the higher offer always gets the prize. Ever since he set foot inside of the metal prison, he’d been formulating a plan to get them out of there.  
Unfortunately, there was only room for two on their new journey. He didn’t feel bad about leaving Gladio and Ignis behind. After years of training in the royal court, they should be fine, even with Ignis’s minor setback. 

Noctis lay on the floor, barely able to register what was going on. He could vaguely remember something about the sounds of strange creatures mixed in with the ear splitting, outraged shouting of Ardyn. Still mentally connected to the king, it felt like he was being yelled at through his ear. A slicing headache broke through his skull, and that was that. The last thing he remembered was being picked up by a struggling figure. 

At least that somewhat explained what the king of Insomnia was doing when he woke up gagged and bound on a chocobo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, just a quick announcement.  
> In between chapters for this, I'll be posting a few One Shots about the same length of each chapter. They range from Fluffy to Angst Filled, but nothing unclean. Already have two out there, if you're curious.  
> Have a story you want written? I take requests, too.  
> Comments are always HIGHLY appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are memories more painful than some.

The sun was still blazing brightly even though summer was coming to an end, and the heat was showing no mercy. Though the rolling hills of the desert were mostly bare of life during that time of day, three dark figures were climbing their way through the sands. One of which was riding the back of another.

Noct groggily opened his eyes, registering the sensation of being bobbed up and down. At first, he had the feverish thought that he was out on the open sea, but his vision quickly focused and dashed aside that idea. He came face to face with nothing more than the tan sands and a set of long, lanky, bird like legs. Bemused, the king tried to push himself up, only to find that his wrists and legs were tied to their pairs with a crude, harsh rope, and around his jaw was nothing more than a rag. 

At the front of his carrier was none other than the one who betrayed his friends, the very person that he assumed was one of them. In his hand was the reigns of the vessel that Noct was draped over. In true Prompto fashion, it was the same chocobo that he’d been riding during the course of their journey. Then again, the king wasn’t quite sure what Prompto’s true fashion was anymore. Though, it seemed to consist of the long coat that he refused to take off.

Every now and then, his captor would glance back to make sure that he was alright. Once the king had awoken once more, he stared intently at the back of the blonde’s head. Mentally, he was burning a hole through the backside. Prompto had to do a double take when he looked behind and the king’s eyes were wide open. In one swift movement, he patted the side of the bird, causing it to stop. 

“Good morning, your majesty,” he greeted with a voice dripping with sarcasm. “I hope than you’re feeling better today. You’ve been asleep since yesterday. It’s past twelve now, if that tells you anything.” The traitor walked over beside the chocobo and got down on his knees to be eye level with his companion. He took hold of the back of the king’s gag and took it off at a teasingly slow rate. 

“Shut up. I don’t want to hear anything from you,” Noctis spat as his first words for the day.

In response, Prompto crossed his arms and pursed his lips. “Now, you don’t get nasty with me. I was going to say that if you promised not to run away, then I’d let you walk for a while,” he informed with a touch of hurt. Of course, the offer was little more than an empty lie.

“Alright, then I guess I’ve got no choice,” the blonde sighed. “I just hope that you’ll change your mind before we reach town.” He stood up to return to his position in front of the chocobo.

“Town? Where are you taking me?” the king demanded. He squirmed in discomfort on the bird’s back, making the chocobo struggle against the unusual weight. The poor thing was already loaded down with travelling supplies and necessities.

“Hey, I wouldn’t do that,” Prompto warned from over his shoulder. “She’s a pretty flaky girl, so if you don’t want to end up on your back ten feet away, don’t wiggle.” He took hold of the reigns once again and began to pull the bird along. “By the way, it’s going to take a while, but when we get there, you’re not using your real name. As far as they’ll know, you’re called Clef and you’re one of my assistants.”

“Oh?” Noct laughed. “And what makes you think that I’ll go along with this? Are we just going to strut into town, the king and one of his crownsguard, using fake names when everybody knows that it’s us? By the time we get there, Ignis and Gladio will have the news spread everywhere, and everyone will be on the lookout for both of us.”

“I’m counting on it,” he confirmed. The information confused the king, but it wasn’t difficult for Prompto to supply a simple explanation. After a pause, he continued, “That’s exactly why we simply won’t look like Noctis Lucis Caelum and Prompto Argentum.”

His right hand gingerly touched the side of a small dagger that hung around his waist. “Just a little off the top and a bit of bleach, and I think nobody will give you a second thought. Me? I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.”

“If you think that you’re getting anywhere near me-“ Noctis began.

“Have to,” Prompto cut him off. “Because you can’t dress your shoulder on your own. If this is going to work, and if you want to live, then you’re going to have to trust me.”

Noctis huffed. “Yeah, I’ve already tried that once, and look at where that got me. Two of my friends are lost and I’m face down on a chocobo. Oh, yeah, one other thing. The only friend I had in high school turned out to never be a friend at all, and was working for the Empire the entire time. So, give me one reason in hell why I should trust you.”

The king merely spoke the truth, and Prompto realized it. The miniature speech rendered him silent for a few seconds as he attempted to come up with the best response. “I’ve never worked for the empire,” scornfully, he stated in a low tone. “I’d never let them take me and turn me into one of those THINGS they call soldiers. I’ve got flesh and blood just like anything else. I might have gotten my start there, but I’d never fight for them. If somebody sets a certain price for a certain job, then I’m anybody’s man.” Yet, didn’t he confess that he was one of them while they were in the prison?

“Then why did you pose as my friend for all those years?” the king challenged. 

Prompto gave him a smirk and turned his head to the side where Noct could see half of his face. “You’re just going to have to find out when we get there, Clef, and there’s no reason for me to keep up the charade now.”  
\-----  
The three continued to roam the desert until the final rays of sunset. By the time they set up camp, the nocturnal creatures as well as the daemons were on the prowl. It was up to Prompto alone to keep a sharp eye out, for he never untied the king from his binds. For the moment, he would have to be contented with sitting in front of a fire with a log propping up his back.

At least the sky was starry and clear. At any other time, Noct would have admired his position. Sitting there beneath the thousands of stars, nothing to do except relax and wonder what Ignis was going to cook that night. Maybe he and Gladio would do a bit of training before supper was finished, or perhaps he and Prompto would just hang out and play a few games. 

A memory suddenly ebbed its way into his mind. It was a scene that he’d seen plenty of times before. It was just four guys camping at a safe zone in the wilderness on a night just like that. If it was because they had no place to go or, simply, they just didn’t have the funds to buy a hotel room, he didn’t know. All the king remembered was that he caught sight of a nearby lake and knew exactly what he was going to do to pass the time. Eager little Prompto desperately wanted to join him, and there was no way that Noct could refuse.

There were few times that Noct had the chance to go out fishing, and he took every opportunity that he got and enjoyed every minute of it. The two boys trotted down with little more than a tackle box and two fishing poles. Prompto had always wanted to learn how to do it because Noct always got so excited about it. 

“And then you just cast it- like this,” Noct instructed his friend with a demonstration. Prompto watched, his hand shaking from how nervous he was about the situation. Though Noct knew perfectly well that he had never done it before as well as that he wouldn’t get it all right during his first try, but the blonde boy was so determined to impress Noct, even if it meant accidentally throwing his pole into the water.

“You mean like this?” Prompto prompted, trying to repeat the king’s actions. However, he ended up landing only a few feet of line onto the edge of the water.

“No, no, no, here, loosen up a little. It’s all in the wrists, watch,” Noct told him. He stood behind Prompto, placing his arms past his ribs and holding the pole with his hands oven the other boy’s. Moving both of their bodies at the same time, Noct cast out the line once again. 

“Oh! I think I get it now!” Prompto excitedly exclaimed, looking over his shoulder with a proud expression plastered onto his face. Noct couldn’t help but smile at the enthusiasm that his friend was displaying. Nobody ever got so excited about fishing- other than his father, of course. Although Gladio or Ignis might watch and comment at times, they would never enjoy doing it, themselves. 

The two sat on the shore for the longest time, reeling in little more than a few twigs and leaves. After a while, Prompto got bored of waiting, and it was clear that there was nothing biting in the lake that night. He discarded his pole to go exploring along the bank, but Noct didn’t seem to mind that much. To be honest, he was beginning to think that they should just give up entirely. After a few more minutes of waiting, Prompto decided to make it a little more interesting. 

The king sat on a rock with his legs crossed and his head resting on top of one of his hands. He took a deep sigh of a breath and watched as the cool water gently rippled in the breeze. All of a sudden, something came skidding over the water that caused Noct to bolt straight up. Beside him, Prompto doubled over from laughter with a few flat stones in his hands.

“Prompto! You’re going to scare off the fish!” Noct half-heartedly scolded. Prompto’s response was to simply toss another stone.

“What fish?” he taunted. “There’s nothing out here but logs and twigs!” Another stone zipped across the liquid. Noct came over and game him a gentle shove on the shoulder. 

“Hey, I’m trying to fish here!” the king stated with a laugh. It was no use to be serious about a hopeless situation like that one. Prompto stopped for a moment, and everything was silently still. He then began to toss the stones again, but instead of the water, this time it was directed towards the king. Noct leapt back to his rock, running over to use it for protection. The stones weren’t very big, and Prompto wasn’t throwing them very hard. However, it was the thought that counted.

“If it’s a fight you want, then it’s a fight you’ll get!” Noctis declared, arming himself with his own forces of stones.

“Oh yeah!” Prompto agreed with pleasure. He backed away to use one of the trees as a fort, and after that, it was a free for all. 

The king and his companion fought hard in a civil battle of stoning each other. Noct landed a few good shots at Prompto’s shoulders as they were well exposed against the skinny tree, but Prompto, on the other hand, was able to pelt Noct on his torso. Occasionally, an odd stone would go off course and hit him on the collar or even the face. After accidently poking out one of Noct’s eyes, the two decided to call it even and head back for camp.

Ignis threw a fit when the two returned covered in scratches and bruises. It took two days for Noct’s eye to open again.  
\-----  
The king couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory as it came whizzing by. The pleasant moment allowed him to forget for a moment, and that was all that he really wanted to do. He wanted to wake up from the nightmare he was tapped in and have the old Prompto- the REAL Prompto come back to him.

Speak of the devil, Prompto came out of the freshly prepared tent with his dagger and a tiny bottle of bleach.

“Ready for a haircut?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story Requests are open, per usual.  
> Please don't hesitate to comment, guys. It's really your responses that keep me fueled.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired from a small Tumblr comic.


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